An influencer has been the subject of a furious backlash after photographs appeared online of him and his partner sitting on a sea turtle, despite it reportedly laying eggs on a beach in Oman.

Vadym Oleynik, a fitness influencer, was visiting the country with his partner, cosmetic doctor Olena Kravchenko, when the alleged incident took place in the Ras al Hadd area.

The images prompt backlash online

Vadym Oleynik, an influencer, has prompoted outrage after being picture sitting on a turtle in Oman. Credit: Vadym Oleynik/Instagram

Images shared online appear to show the Ukrainian couple taking turns sitting on the back of a sea turtle, with the pair also accused of picking up newly hatched turtles, according to reports.

Oleynik, who describes himself as a world calisthenics champion and Master of Sport in combat sambo, and Kravchenko were reportedly accompanied by volunteers from an environmental organization involved in monitoring turtle nesting in the area.

Despite being accompanied by experts, the pair clearly weren’t deterred from posing for photographs, prompting a furious response from conservationists, with one environmental group accusing those involved of exploiting the animal for pictures posted to social media.

Italian conservation project Biologicamente was among the first organizations to draw attention to the images, the group wrote: "These images speak for themselves. The photographs were published on a profile with 200,000 followers."

It claimed the person responsible had subsequently faced a wave of criticism and disabled comments on the social media post.

"Obviously, the author has already received a generous dose of abuse and was forced to disable the comments section. But he immediately defended himself, claiming that he had done nothing wrong, had broken no laws and had not behaved improperly."

The conservation project also questioned how anyone connected to a legitimate scientific operation could have allowed such behavior to materialize without warning.

It claimed that a serious organisation with a scientific committee "would NEVER allow its volunteers to sit on a turtle's shell just to take a s****y selfie".

"It is disgusting and unpleasant. This is exploitation, mistreatment and abuse - nothing resembling volunteering", the group added.

Oman's environment authority respond

Vadym Oleynik's partner was also pictured sitting on the turtle while in Oman. Credit: Vadym Oleynik/Instagram

Oman's Environment Authority subsequently addressed the incident, saying Oleynik's actions had breached laws and regulations designed to protect wildlife.

The authority said it had taken the "necessary legal action against the individual concerned, in accordance with applicable legislation,” with reports subsequently claiming that Oleynik and Kravchenko had been detained by police.

However, there has been no official confirmation that either of them was detained, and Oleynik has continued to share photographs and videos from his trip.

Oleynik has since apologized over the controversy, saying he was unaware of the relevant rules and insisting that he never intended to cause harm to the turtle.

"I didn't see the rules. I made a mistake and apologize to everyone," he claimed.

Featured Image Credit: Vadym Oleynik/Instagram

Over the past few years, platforms such as Instagram and YouTube have become overrun with social media influencers. You know the types of people I'm talking about: young, beautiful individuals who make money by - well - being young and beautiful. And occasionally promoting some product or service for a bit of cash, of course.

For the most part, these people don't really meet the same level of celebrity as actors or musicians, and the only time we ever really hear about them is if they get involved in some sort of scandal.

Take Australian blogger Newsha Syeh, for example. You probably haven't seen much of her before. However, earlier this month, she attracted a great deal of attention after posting this message on her Instagram story while enjoying her honeymoon in Paris:

"Yesterday at the Louvre, I was stopped at the entrance by a guard for my outfit. He made the most disgusted and horrible gestures and facial expressions, swore at me to cover up, with hate filled eyes stopped me entering. I was heartbroken, because I thought the Louvre enforced this archaic rule [sic]. Turns out it does not."

This is the outfit in question:

Though the Louvre does not have a set dress code listen on their website, their visitor regulations stipulate that guests are not permitted to "wear swimsuits or be naked, barefoot or bare-chested" - and Syeh might just have broken that last rule.

Many of the 25-year-old's fans sympathised with her, and backed her up with her complaints against the Louvre.

"When I visited The Louvre with my sister a few years ago we wore winter clothes with boots and we got denied entry by security for being 'under dressed'," said one person. "They were so rude about it too and cussed us out until we had no choice but to walk away feeling embarrassed. Your outfit is beautiful."

Meanwhile, another added: "We are in the 21st century and there are still people that are hostile about what you’re wearing and the way you wear it. I don’t know what to say, only that I’m extremely speechless."

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp_dyUzAA7v/]]

Others, however, backed up the security guard's rude response, saying, "The dresscode exists in any establishment. It would be correct to think what should be put on when you go to the museum. About hatred in a look and gestures - most likely a fruit of your imagination - but also to look at the half-naked woman coming into LOUVRE (!) with approval or with sympathy the security guard hardly could. Sorry, but I consider that the security guard has done right thing."

Syeh took the experience in her stride, though, and later posted pictures of herself with her wife in another of Paris' famous art galleries, the Musee d'Orsay.

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp5WPQQg8MI/]]

On the one hand, the influencer's outfit probably was a little OTT for the Louvre, and would probably have been more suited to a nightclub or fancy restaurant. On the other hand, the security guard did not have to treat Syeh so badly, and could just have asked her to wear a jacket.

Either way, this situation shouldn't have blown up as much as it did.

The Louvre has not commented on the matter.

If there's one subject that's almost certain to get internet users riled up, it's animal cruelty. All you need to do to incur the self-righteous wrath of countless millions of commenters is to make the mistake of hurting or humiliating some poor defenceless creature, and then sit back and wait for the social media collective to figuratively kick your back doors in. Not only that, but the more committed commenters are to the issue of animal rights, the more vocal they'll inevitably be in their scathing condemnation.

If you want an example of a group whose animal rights advocacy can verge on the fanatical side, then look no further than Peta. Yes, despite their laudable goals and moral intentions, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have managed to incur a reputation for irresponsible and provocative publicity stunts, which some critics have decried as doing more harm than good overall.

The latest hot-button topic to ruffle their feathers is a viral video, which shows a beluga whale being treated to an underwater makeover. It all sounds like harmless good fun, but Peta say that the footage is no laughing matter.

[[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAXJ3PT3DaU]]

The offending video in question apparently comes from the Sun Asia Ocean World aquarium in Dalian, in the Liaoning Province of China. The short clip shows staff at the aquarium diving into the whale's take, and applying bright red lipstick to the marine mammal's mouth.

The video of the cosmetics session was then promptly uploaded to Dou Yin (抖音), a popular Chinese video app, on June 9, and was criticised for its perceived animal cruelty. That was when the uproar from Peta Asia began in earnest. The original video has since been taken down by its uploader as a result of the subsequent backlash.

Press officer Keith Guo, a spokesperson for Peta Asia, stated that the aquarium has angered animal rights activists in the past, since it keeps many of its animals, such as belugas and dolphins, in tanks which the organisation has deemed too shallow to promote their health and well-being. Guo stated angrily that: "Those sea mammals who have social needs and vast water were so anxious and living in pain."

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/MamiMoreBucks/status/1005642432715862016]]

Sun Asia Ocean World has since apologised to the public for the viral video. In a statement, the aquarium appeared to be remorseful for the furore that the clip had caused, stating: "Hereby, we express our sincere apology to all the friends who like Sun Asia Ocean World".

The aquarium also claims that the keeper in the video who can be seen applying the lipstick has since left the company last month, and that it was was filmed in 2017 and uploaded to Dou Yin by someone else - not the trainer in question.

The beluga whale (or the white whale) are a species native to the Arctic Ocean. The easygoing, comparatively friendly nature of the species, as well as their intelligence, has made them popular at various aquariums around the world. However, the beluga is under threat, and have since been added to the red list of endangered species on International Union for Conservation of Nature as of 2008.